The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus and method, and a photoelectric conversion apparatus, and specifically relates to an information processing apparatus and method, and a photoelectric conversion apparatus, which enables photoelectric conversion to be performed on light received at multiple light-receiving units, independent from each other, while suppressing increase in the number of elements.
Illuminance sensors and color temperature sensors have been mounted on various electronic devices including cellular phones and televisions (e.g., see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 2011-166491 and 2011-59543). With such an electronic device, a surrounding environment (brightness and color temperature of illumination) where the device is used is estimated, and accordingly, the brightness or color of a display screen (liquid crystal or organic EL) may be adjusted, for example. This is operation such that when the circumference is bright, the display is also brightened, and when the circumference is dark, the display is also darkened. Thus, display luminance and so forth may be adjusted to brightness that feels comfortable to humans.
With such an illuminance sensor, an organic photoelectric conversion film, and so forth may be employed as an element capable of photoelectric conversion, an element including a photodiode (e.g., see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 2008-103368 and 2011-29453). Illuminance or color temperature is estimated from an output value after photoelectric conversion using such an element, and accordingly, operation as described above may be performed.